Now *this* is a list I can get behind, because let's face it, #1 is absolutely on "Top 10 Vintage Cards (Minus Power 9)", in fact, it's probably the #1 on that too!
Vis a vis Absorb: it's funny how much people dunk on Healing Salve (rightfully) and yet tacking Healing Salve onto other cards is legitimate upside (Lightning Helix being another example). Showcases just how important card advantage is.
As an old head, it baffles me that stuff like dark ritual and counterspell were decided to be too powerful yet now we get 1 drops with paragraphs printed on them and turn 2 lethal in standard.
The MTG designers believe that creates and combat are more "fun and interactive" vs spells and combos. So they made creatures insanely powerful while making spells worse. I think I kind of understand why they believe this but the way they executed the plan feels kinda meh.
I remember when Spiritmonger was printed and thought, wow that's a 6/6 for 5 mana with no downside? Now I look at something like Questing Beast and wince inwardly.
I LOVE Counterflux. Feels very safe, relatively cheap, and the art is awesome. "Steampunk-y Izzet mage doing a cool pose" is one of my favorite types of art.
Going in: so help me if Counterspell isn't number 1 ... ... ... ... Going out: I rly thought having access to more formats would have pushed Counterspell over FoW
I honestly think youre overlooking the fact that Force of Will is a 4 of in about half of legacy and vintage decks (and has been since it was printed), and had a run in other formats too. Counterspell has seen play in many standards, plus some other formats, but not really in years.
@@ceulgai2817 What a weird comment. It was just a rough idea I had spur of the moment, would you be less offended by "top ten oldest creatures that still see (competitive) play"? I'd like to see that.
@@muneerkhan6526 You're blaming me for you not thinking before you spoke? How queer. Also no, because "still sees play" doesn't mean anything. You could say "that earned points in 2024," but that's not interesting, especially once you consider it become meaningless since there're multiple time-constrained formats being checked at once. It's *also* based on a faulty premise that only the newest cards are ones seeing play.
@@ceulgai2817 Now you're just yapping. I'd love to see a video of the oldest creatures still seeing play/getting points, and I imagine a lot of people would too.
Surprised Mindbreak Trap or Summary Dismissal haven't made the list. Did those spells actually not have big enough numbers or did you ignore them because the word "counter" isn't explicitly on them? If the latter is the case, I would argue that if Dissipate makes the list those cards should too, since they're functionally counters and they're even stronger than regular ones thanks to being able to get around uncounterable spells.
So since 2 is counterspell and 1 is force of will my guess for number 3 would be Mana Drain. Only being legal in vintage and not being free is rough but surely it's broken enough to get a podium spot.
Negate is a hard counter. It is also a conditional counter. A hard counter counters its target with no recourse within the card, while a soft counter allows for a situation where its target can resolve. An unconditional counter can target any spell, a conditional one has conditions on what spells it can target. Personally, I refer to things like remand and lapse of certainty as firm counters. They do their thing, but they don’t completely remove the spell.
@AkukAkuku The real reason is that Absorb was reprinted in Ravnica Alleigances in 2019 making it legal in standard, pioneer and modern, while Undermine has never had a standard legal reprint and is therefore not legal in either Pioneer or Modern
Force of Will's point total has me wondering, "Aside from basic lands, what are the top cards ever?" FoW is Power 9 level but still legal, and the Power 9 are banned or restricted, so what's out there?
I don't think Force is nearly as powerful as Power 9 cards are. It's interaction, and unless you use the alternate cost, it's overpriced. The only reason it sees as much play as it does is because it can stop turn one combos, and it lets you tap out and still have counter magic. It's an amazing card, but it's not on the no brainers, stupidly powerful level of Moxes and Black Lotus, or Ancestral Recall.
I'm actually not sure whether it say what it does in the original rule book. But it certainly confused me back in the day! I've talked about this elsewhere, but when I was a kid and started playing Magic, I was also playing the very first Pokemon video games. In those games, "counter" is a move that dealt double damage to the opponent based on damage taken. So, when I first saw cards that countered spells, I thought it let me take control of that spell and point it at my opponent's stuff -- not that they just got stopped.
All the comments saying that Wizards will print something that power creeps FoW out of the game are obviously not paying attention to anything Wizards says about bans.
Counterflux probably shouldn't be on this list since it is a conditional counterspell like negate. If a situation arises where I need to hold priority to counter my own spell, this cannot be used. In the spirit of the video though, it makes sense to be in it.
My top 3 prediction: 3. Pact of Negation 2. Counterspell 1. Force of Will Also, NOTC needs to put both Counterspell and Force of Will back in standard unless they want the game to become Yugioh 🤢
I can foresee a time when Wizards prints a card so insane, it passes Force of Will. They gotta keep power creeping the game for more doubling profits every year.
If you didn't include things like Negate because it can only counter a subset of spells, why include Counterflux? It similarly can only counter some things (opponents' spells) but not others (your own). While its unlikely you'd wanna counter your own, it is still objectively only a subset of spells that it counters, so goes against the ethos of the video.
I don't think the cards you keep saying will stay at number for eternity really well. I think by modern horizons 7 we'll probably have a strictly better version.
You should have made this one of your Spooky Top Tens, since nothing is more frightening than two untapped Islands.
Apparently you’ve never seen the hotel hot tub after a three day con.
😂
They should scan players brains to see what happens when they see two untapped blue mana sources
@@benwilson6256 Force them to have it.
For next April 1st, you should do "Top Ten Top Ten Lists with Force of Will at Number One"
This would be hilarious and accurate. I wonder if it's the top #1, period.
"For the rest of eternity," literally killed me.
Now *this* is a list I can get behind, because let's face it, #1 is absolutely on "Top 10 Vintage Cards (Minus Power 9)", in fact, it's probably the #1 on that too!
Vis a vis Absorb: it's funny how much people dunk on Healing Salve (rightfully) and yet tacking Healing Salve onto other cards is legitimate upside (Lightning Helix being another example). Showcases just how important card advantage is.
top 10 relentless rats
number 10: relentless rats
number 9: relentless rats
number 8: relentless rats
number 7: relentless rats
number 6: relentless rats
Top 10 non-blue counterspells? Unless that’s already a video
i wanna see more pauper content!! love me some powerful commons!!
As an old head, it baffles me that stuff like dark ritual and counterspell were decided to be too powerful yet now we get 1 drops with paragraphs printed on them and turn 2 lethal in standard.
Dark Ritual is too powerful lol.
Imagine being able to get like, I dunno, Unstoppable Slasher out on turn 1, then swing for 11 on turn 2.
sometimes less is more. doesnt matter how powrful a card is if your opponent can tap two blue and say fuck you
The MTG designers believe that creates and combat are more "fun and interactive" vs spells and combos. So they made creatures insanely powerful while making spells worse. I think I kind of understand why they believe this but the way they executed the plan feels kinda meh.
I was about to say this. Same for Llanowar Elves and Lightning Bolt, although the Elf is being reprinted now.
I remember when Spiritmonger was printed and thought, wow that's a 6/6 for 5 mana with no downside? Now I look at something like Questing Beast and wince inwardly.
I LOVE Counterflux. Feels very safe, relatively cheap, and the art is awesome. "Steampunk-y Izzet mage doing a cool pose" is one of my favorite types of art.
A prediction like "for the rest of eternity" may SOUND bold ... but I think everyone will agree 😆
I'd be interested to see if Three Steps Ahead makes its way on to this list in the future
"For the rest of eternity" was an awesome way to wrap up FoW commentary!
Going in: so help me if Counterspell isn't number 1
...
...
...
...
Going out: I rly thought having access to more formats would have pushed Counterspell over FoW
I second that. I wouldn’t dare to try a counter argument
I honestly think youre overlooking the fact that Force of Will is a 4 of in about half of legacy and vintage decks (and has been since it was printed), and had a run in other formats too. Counterspell has seen play in many standards, plus some other formats, but not really in years.
No Undermine? That is the coolest counterspell by far.
It wouldn't be a true Nizzahon video without and *correction popping up somewhere 😊
Wow, I'm actually first. Might I recommend "Top 10 cards from older sets that still see play" or "top 10 creatures that survived power creep?"
No? "Older sets" "still see play", and "surviving power creep" all don't mean anything
@@ceulgai2817 What a weird comment. It was just a rough idea I had spur of the moment, would you be less offended by "top ten oldest creatures that still see (competitive) play"? I'd like to see that.
@@muneerkhan6526 You're blaming me for you not thinking before you spoke? How queer.
Also no, because "still sees play" doesn't mean anything. You could say "that earned points in 2024," but that's not interesting, especially once you consider it become meaningless since there're multiple time-constrained formats being checked at once.
It's *also* based on a faulty premise that only the newest cards are ones seeing play.
@@ceulgai2817 Now you're just yapping. I'd love to see a video of the oldest creatures still seeing play/getting points, and I imagine a lot of people would too.
@@muneerkhan6526 Keep imagining
Ayo I love my vintage tees from Into the AM I picked up last Black Friday because of your ad lol
Surprised Mindbreak Trap or Summary Dismissal haven't made the list. Did those spells actually not have big enough numbers or did you ignore them because the word "counter" isn't explicitly on them? If the latter is the case, I would argue that if Dissipate makes the list those cards should too, since they're functionally counters and they're even stronger than regular ones thanks to being able to get around uncounterable spells.
Truly, the spookiest of spells.
Oh so Force of Will is 1, and Counterspell 2, so I'm gonna guess 3rd of....Pact of Negation?
Edit:
one, two, and four, not bad.
Disallow should be on this list, instead of Absorb. It can do more for a more flexible casting cost.
Nice list :D what about both top 10 of non-hard counters and, inf there are enough, the "non instant counters"?
What is a non instant counter?
So since 2 is counterspell and 1 is force of will my guess for number 3 would be Mana Drain. Only being legal in vintage and not being free is rough but surely it's broken enough to get a podium spot.
Ah, pact of negation. Was thinking that was noncreature only, surprised at the other two that beat it though.
Negate is a hard counter. It is also a conditional counter. A hard counter counters its target with no recourse within the card, while a soft counter allows for a situation where its target can resolve. An unconditional counter can target any spell, a conditional one has conditions on what spells it can target. Personally, I refer to things like remand and lapse of certainty as firm counters. They do their thing, but they don’t completely remove the spell.
Number 2 and 1 were really obvious, but I am surprised Absorb made it but Undermine didn't. I guess I am out of the loop.
Probably because WU decks have been better control decks than UB on average.
@AkukAkuku The real reason is that Absorb was reprinted in Ravnica Alleigances in 2019 making it legal in standard, pioneer and modern, while Undermine has never had a standard legal reprint and is therefore not legal in either Pioneer or Modern
@@minervadetauro7646 You're right, that's much better explanation.
Top ten cards that have never been reprinted
Force of Will's point total has me wondering, "Aside from basic lands, what are the top cards ever?" FoW is Power 9 level but still legal, and the Power 9 are banned or restricted, so what's out there?
I don't think Force is nearly as powerful as Power 9 cards are. It's interaction, and unless you use the alternate cost, it's overpriced. The only reason it sees as much play as it does is because it can stop turn one combos, and it lets you tap out and still have counter magic. It's an amazing card, but it's not on the no brainers, stupidly powerful level of Moxes and Black Lotus, or Ancestral Recall.
How u gonna start with that counter art
wait wait. hold on... give me a split second.
I'm surprised Flare of Denial hasn't already made it on the list. I wonder how close it was
Flare of denial isn’t that good its seen almost no play in modern or legacy
How about top ten cards with 5 or less words of rules text?
when MTG first came out did they tell you in the rulebook what counterspell did, how else would you know what that meant ?
I'm actually not sure whether it say what it does in the original rule book. But it certainly confused me back in the day!
I've talked about this elsewhere, but when I was a kid and started playing Magic, I was also playing the very first Pokemon video games. In those games, "counter" is a move that dealt double damage to the opponent based on damage taken. So, when I first saw cards that countered spells, I thought it let me take control of that spell and point it at my opponent's stuff -- not that they just got stopped.
I LOVE Counterflux!
Inb4 counterspell gets reprinted in foundations and it’s suddenly in standard for 5 years :D
Omniscience is going to be reprinted and will soon become the Ugin of that set: unfun and unbeatable.
What is force of will.
Number 2 and 1 was obvious to me supriced no force of negation expected it to be 3rd/4th
FoN is non creature only
@@rbeley ah
Top ten sideboard?
All the comments saying that Wizards will print something that power creeps FoW out of the game are obviously not paying attention to anything Wizards says about bans.
Top Ten Basic Land Types!
Why?
How is Mana Drain not easily #1?
Counterflux probably shouldn't be on this list since it is a conditional counterspell like negate. If a situation arises where I need to hold priority to counter my own spell, this cannot be used. In the spirit of the video though, it makes sense to be in it.
Let's face it, we all know what will be #1 on this list.
*STORM CROW FOREVER*
Lack ofo Force of Negation on the list is suprising. Is it considered,,not hard enough"?
It's not hard at all
Only counters noncreature spells.
@@Sauvenil I feel stupid
@@plytachodnik don't worry, we all do it once in a while. specific wordings on cards we don't know well, haha.
I mean technically not ANYTHING - only spells 😏
How many points does No More Lies have?
Look at the adjective, HARD
No More Lies is not a HARD counterspell, it has the same clause as Mana Leak
@@minervadetauro7646 Ngl since it's always used early when people can't pay it I completely forgot it even has a mana leak kind of clause
One of the most predictable top tens yet. That said i love the OG Counterspell art.
My top 3 prediction:
3. Pact of Negation
2. Counterspell
1. Force of Will
Also, NOTC needs to put both Counterspell and Force of Will back in standard unless they want the game to become Yugioh 🤢
Power Sink. One blue plus X. Counter spell, if defender doesn't pay X EMPTY THEIR MANA POOL!
Best counter ever.
I can't believe youissef this. 🤯
It's a conditional counter, thus not considered for the list.
@@JasonOshinko hmm....still though.
It the best counter in the game.
I can foresee a time when Wizards prints a card so insane, it passes Force of Will.
They gotta keep power creeping the game for more doubling profits every year.
If you didn't include things like Negate because it can only counter a subset of spells, why include Counterflux? It similarly can only counter some things (opponents' spells) but not others (your own). While its unlikely you'd wanna counter your own, it is still objectively only a subset of spells that it counters, so goes against the ethos of the video.
I don't think the cards you keep saying will stay at number for eternity really well. I think by modern horizons 7 we'll probably have a strictly better version.
Nope. Next ad like that will be an unsubscribe. I get it, and good luck, but nope.
What was so offensive about the ad? It was short and relatively innocuous.
@@didymussumydid9726 Did you see that guy pretending to play guitar?!!...but other than that it seems fine.